Speech by P.I. Karafotias at the festive ceremony at the statue of Th. Kolokotronis in Eleftherias Square, Vrilissia, by the Association of Arkadians of Vrilissia on the occasion of the celebration of the 25th Anniversaryth March 1821
With mixed feelings of reverence, awe, mental upliftment, but also sadness and intense reflection, I will try to share with you some thoughts, hoping to contribute constructively to the importance of today's event.
National Anniversaries are celebrated on the one hand to pay tribute to the heroes and martyrs of the Homeland, and on the other hand for our spiritual re-baptism in their historical legacies and in the national historical duty and to reflect educationally on the past, present and future so that in our reference to their sacred memory we can also evaluate our own behavior, both achievements and particular mistakes and learn from them because as the philosopher said: “Nations that have not learned from their history are condemned to relive it”. And this, unfortunately, tends to happen in our own Homeland due to tragic mistakes and crimes of various leaders, without a large part of the “always gullible and always betrayed Greek people” being without responsibility.
In the context of the first part, I will not refer to historical events that are well known "bringing a plague to Athens." I will focus my attention on certain points that are perhaps less well known and have particular importance.
Firstly, when in Europe etc. the prevailing impression was that the Greek Revolution had died out, Kolokotronis with the guerrilla war maintained the physiognomy of the battle and overturned the above erroneous impression and thus the assistance of philhellenic countries for the happy outcome of the Revolution continued. And this, in the opinion of the late Academician Solon Kydoniatis, constitutes his most important contribution to the final victory!
Secondly, for the sacred cause of the Revolution, the Kolokotronis family sacrificed approximately 70 first-degree relatives. I know of no other such case of human sacrifice anywhere in the world!
Thirdly, despite all the personal dramatic and tragic sufferings and trials - murder of his son Panos, conviction, imprisonment and slander of himself, etc., - he did not bow down mentally and continued the sacred struggle until the end. And he proved once again his Greek patriotic spiritual greatness! The transcendence! Fortunately, the great, heroic Judges Polyzoides and Tertsetis vindicated him despite the threats against them by the well-known anti-Hellenic camarilla.
Fourth, with his rare genius and genius, he united opposing forces - and Arvanites - winning many crucial battles under extremely adverse conditions. Furthermore, he tried to prevent the vengeful massacre of civilians during the Fall and Liberation of Tripolitsa, proving his magnanimity!
Fifth, he was the first to understand and realize the great political and diplomatic value of the great Kapodistrias and strongly supported him. However, the anti-Greek foreign conspirators with their sad and pitiful instruments assassinated him and Greece lost the great opportunity to become modern Switzerland, also the work of Kapodistrias!
Sixth, despite all the Circe etc. methods, various temptations and various challenges, he remained until the end intact, honest, uncompromising, unifying with a unique vision and goal of national liberation! And his speeches were monumental in their national, historical unifying significance, value and inspiration!
Seventh, he was an example, a role model and a symbol of a Patriot, Hero and Martyr of the Fatherland and Christianity. Would there have been a Greek Orthodox Christian Church without Kolokotronis?
And now, closing this brief review, and within the context of the second part of my speech, I ask:
Have we, as a people in general, and especially the leadership, been worthy of the sacred legacy of Kolokotronis, or along the way, carried away and corrupted by the arrogance of power or by petty interests, weaknesses and passions - especially jealousy - have we declined and reached the current state of a new, invisible and insidious political, economic and social enslavement to which the Greeks are vulnerable? Let us reflect with sadness on what followed after Kolokotronis and the National Liberation from Ottoman slavery, and let us reflect on what each of us did and what each of us and all of us together must do for the universal "liberation" of the nation and the charting of a new course of development, prosperity and progress.
Unfortunately, our report suffers. The foreign power circles with their local bought and blind organs, did not let the Homeland be freed from new invisible tyrants. And we know what happened next: Entanglements, civil wars, reckless borrowing, abuses, corruption. First, the ethnocidal division and sacrifice of approximately 80 thousand young Greeks in the Asia Minor Tragedy in addition to the rupture of the social fabric, etc. Second and more painful division, the civil tragedy of 1945-1949 with the loss of approximately 150 thousand souls and the subsequent tragic consequences in many sectors. And the tragedies continued: Loss of Northern Epirus, occupation of part of Cyprus, an independent state, a member of the UN and the EU, by Turkish troops for 50 whole years in violation of UN resolutions and International Law, a shameful and treacherous "Prespa Agreement", continuous Turkish threats to Cyprus, the Aegean, Thrace and the guilty silence and tolerance of "friends" and "allies" and international organizations. And then the political, economic and social enslavement with memoranda, etc. that even precede "memorials". I wonder, how will the souls of Kolokotronis and all the other Heroes and Martyrs of the Nation feel in Heaven?
The quintessence of today's anniversary is, as was said, the reverent and self-aware observance of the sacred example and sacred legacy of Kolokotronis, and not the formalistic celebration without substance. And I am amazed that certain leaders, "Nightmares", who are co-responsible for the new "enslavement" of the Homeland, appear to be honorable and claim power again.
Let us, therefore, leaders, individuals, NGOs, etc., awaken and kneel with reverence in our churches and wherever else there are sacred bones of Heroes and relics of Saints, and let us pray that they will forgive us and enlighten us to chart, together with the Hellenism of the Diaspora, a new course with unity, responsibility, genuine patriotism, meritocracy and invincible will to get out of the quagmire and work consistently for the restoration and progress of the Homeland. It will be the minimum tribute to the Proto-Hero Kolokotronis and all the other Heroes and Martyrs of the Homeland. Let the Arcadians set an example because of important historical events, but also because Arcadia in particular has been "enslaved" in many areas, primarily demographic decline, and a peaceful revolution is needed in the spirit of the Kolokotronians and Pericles' famous "NOW"!
